HYLA Blog

Promotions: October 2017

Promotions are a major marketing tool used by carriers and retailers to entice customers to buy or upgrade their mobile device. Let’s look at how the promotions stacked up for the month of October.

Verizon

Verizon began the month offering $300 off an iPhone 8 or iPhone 8 Plus with a trade-in of a variety of the latest minus 1 models from Apple, Samsung, LG, Google and Motorola. The trade-in offer also includes latest minus 2 and minus 3 generation models for a discount of $200 and $100 respectively. This discount was discontinued after a few weeks, replaced by offering $200 off the iPhone 7 product line and $100 off the iPhone 6 product line.

As the launch of the iPhone X neared, Verizon, at the end of October, offered a $300 trade-in offer based on a specific set of models for the iPhone X.

For the Samsung Galaxy 8, 8+ and Note 8, there were similar trade-in offers with different values of $378, $265, and $189 for the latest models minus 1, 2 and 3 respectively. A few weeks later, the Samsung offer was reduced to $300, $200 and $100 for trade-in of eligible devices.

In the beginning of October, Verizon offered $100 off a Google Pixel phone, no trade-in required; and later, to coincide with the launch of the new Google models, Verizon began offering $300 off for the Pixel 2 and Pixel XL with a trade-in.

The launch of the LG V30 had Verizon offering a discount of $200 for the V30 with no trade-in required.

AT&T

AT&T relied more on offering unique plans versus discounts or trade-in offers. The AT&T plans Next and Next Every Year provide the opportunity to receive a new device without having to complete the payments on the current device.

One of the promotions offered last month was a buy one get one free (BOGO) on the LG V30 with the activation of a new line and with a 30-month credit repayment period.

Sprint

Sprint combined promotional dollars off a new device with their Sprint Flex program. which allows an upgrade in as short as 12 months.

The models include the iPhone 8 product line with $350 off, lease an LG V30 and get one free, Essential Phone at 50% off, and the iPhone 7 product line with a lease one get one offer (BOGO).

At the end of the month, as the iPhone X launch neared, Sprint offered $350 off the iPhone X and 50% off the Samsung Galaxy 8 product line.

T-Mobile

T-Mobile began the month offering $300 off the Apple iPhone 8 and iPhone 7 line of products with no trade-in required. As with all of the carrier offers, the discount is applied over a determined number of months.

T-Mobile also offered a BOGO deal with the Samsung Galaxy Note 8.

For the launch of the Google Pixel 2-line, T-Mobile was offering to bring your own device and T-Mobile would credit your account with half the cost of the phone.

For the LG V30, T-Mobile gave $500 off the purchase of two devices; and for the LG G6 and V20, a BOGO deal.

Later in the month T-Mobile offered $250 off the Motorola Moto Z Force Edition.

BestBuy

BestBuy will usually offer the same or similar offers as the carriers when you upgrade or purchase a new line of service. Occasionally BestBuy will provide additional discounts on phone upgrades to existing service or for unlocked mobile phones.

BestBuy offered $100 off the Samsung Galaxy 8 product line and a $50 gift card for the launch of the Motorola Moto X4 for unlocked mobiles. The other promotional offers for the month were identical to the carrier offers.

Wrap Up

The offers included some payment period on the new phone along with the promotion being applied monthly until the phone was paid off. The good news is that the promotional offers included 0% financing during the repayment term of the promotion.

Each carrier had a different plan with T-Mobile being the most aggressive with no trade-in required. AT&T was the most different in offering very few promotional discounts but relying on their plans to attract customers.

The new iPhones and Galaxy devices were the mostly heavily promoted followed by the LG V30 and Google Pixel line.

Dependent on your purchasing criteria, there is mostly likely a promotion out there for you. Although the major device launches have passed, we will have to see what the rest of the year brings, especially going into the holiday season.